Lincolnshire

My vote goes to Washingborough. It’s just over 2 miles from Lincoln city. We lived there for 38 years and brought up our family there. Although it’s a much expanded village it has a lively spirit and you can get a nice house with a decent sized garden.

Stamford is 50+ miles from Lincoln if that’s the city you have in mind.

Lincoln is the only City in the county.

Another OP who cannot be bothered to respond.

I really like Louth and Stamford, both good market towns with a vibrant community feel.

Stamford is almost always an hour's drive from Lincoln in my experience and I have lived here for over 40 years. It is as far away from Lincoln as it's possible to be and still be in Lincolnshire so probably not the best choice if you need to be close to Lincoln. However, Stamford is right up there as one of the most beautiful towns in England and, as such, one of the most expensive areas of Lincolnshire.

We live in Stamford and it is lovely. There is always something going on. Not all the houses are eyewateringly expensive; there are pl of affordable homes, too. It has good rail links and is around ten miles from Peterborough, which is one of the busiest and best stations in the country. There are some very attractive villages nearby as well. Bourne and Spalding have a lot to offer. Oakham is in Rutland, but not far from Lincolnshire. It is smaller than Stamford, but again has good rail links.

*plenty.

My mum lived in a village called Stoke Rochford which was so pretty my kids called it Postman Pat's village. It's not far from Grantham and the A1 and very easy to get to places.

I live in one of the cliff villages and love it. Easy to get to Lincoln and Grantham. All amenities within distance.we can even get take always delivered.

London is an hour away by train from Grantham.

Don't overlook the North or North East Lincs. We are closer to road networks, the A1 is 50mins away, M62 just over the bridge with Beverley about 45mins away and York not much further away. The wolds are accessible (Lincolnshire and East Riding). It can reduce the feelings of isolation while still having small red brick villages. Lincoln is as close as York too. The villages and small market towns are quirky with folk/craft/music centres and women's circles for friendships and community. The Viking Way starts in Barton on Humber and ends down at Oakham (or the other way round). The Humber is industrial that is true but the history is rich and there are bypasses, and yet still under populated.

But yes, Airbnb it for a week and explore.

I worked all over Lincolnshire in schools, hospitals and doctor's surgeries as a therapeutic counsellor for around 10 years or more. I love Lincolnshire and it's large skies, wide open spaces, country lanes, lack of traffic and most of all the sheer kindness of the people there. As you drive past the signs welcoming you to Lincolnshire, you almost feel your blood pressure relaxing into a calmer place. It is a bit like going back to the 1950s. People offer you a cup of tea whenever you arrive anywhere. They are warm and caring. One of the slightly quirky things that is normal in Lincolnshire is that you could find yourself behind a tractor quite often and several during the course of a day if you have lots of appointments. The trick is to pull in at the nearest stopping place and telephone ahead to your next couple of appointments. Just say that you are running late due to being held up by tractors, but you are definitely on your way. Ask if the person whom you are seeing can be informed and apologise. Instantly you have removed the stress from your journey. People will not mind if they know you are on your way, even if you will be late. You have apologized, Lincolnshire people have excellent manners and deserve to be treated with respect. Things are calmer and slower there. I live close to a lovely little market town about 18 miles from Lincolnshire in a friendly village, that I love. I don't plan to leave here, but if I did there are lots of lovely places to choose in Lincolnshire. Navenby is very nice but really it would be worth spending some time travelling around to find your special place.

Our daughter lives in a hamlet a few miles south of Bourne, just off the A15. Bourne is an amazing little town, it seems to have every kind of shop and service one could want, although no hospital unfortunately. Peterborough is straight down the A15 for a bigger variety of shops and facilities and the direct train line into King's Cross. Beautiful Stamford is 15 minutes away. She has lived in the area for 14 years and really loves it. She has been seriously ill recently and was well cared for at Peterborough hospital and later at Addenbrookes in Cambridge which is not that far away.